India vs Australia, 1st ODI

Both teams who have rested many of their senior players to give a chance to the younger lot will have to wait till Wednesday for the 2nd ODI at Vizag, which is on the east coast. It will be a day-night encounter and all we can now do is pray for good weather there. Not an ideal start to the series, none of us can fight the elements of nature.

Official word coming in: The match has been called off due to persistent rain. Pity the crowd, which trooped into the stadium in large numbers to watch an exciting contest!

Update: 10:30 AM: Neo Cricket's Archana Vijaya has just Tweeted: "Match is called off in all probability.. Waiting for official confirmation!"

Update: 10:25 AM: Jitesh writing in from Kochi says that it has started pouring once again. This spells diaster and may dash our hopes of having a game. We are still waiting for an official confirmation.

Update: 10:00 AM: The news just keeps going from bad to worse in Kochi. It has started to drizzle in Kochi and it is getting a little heavier as I type. Looks like the 11:00 AM Inspection will have to wait.

More bad news: The next inspection has been changed from 12:00 PM IST to 11:00 AM. So fingers crossed and hoping for some good news then...

The next inspection is scheduled to happen at around 10:00 AM IST.

The umpires are having a look at the conditions with the match referee. We can expect an update from them any time now.

Some of the covers are coming off, the Super Sopper is in use. There are a lot of people working hard to remove the water from the outfield.

Ravi Shastri: We have had a sharp shower at 4:00 AM. The whole ground is covered. However, we are in for a lengthy delay here. They had to take the water off the covers first. The question to be asked is, how much water has seeped into the outfield? There was an inspection scheduled at 09:00 AM, but I reckon that we will not have play before 11:30 AM.

Brad Hogg reckons that at best, we could be in for a 20-20 game. The rain has done a lot of damage over the last four days, so much that even bright sunshine since yesterday hasn't helped the groundsmen, but we can't fight the weather, can we?

Update: 08:25 AM IST: The outfield is wet, but the sun is shining. There are wet patches on the outfield and the ground staff are working hard to dry them quickly. We are in for a bit of a delay. Stay connected.

After a pulsating test series, it is now time for some ODI action as India take on Australia in the first of the three ODIs at Kochi. The weather will be a major factor in Kochi as it has been raining heavily for the last couple of days. There are some big names missing from both the teams, but both will be wanting to get the better of the other. This is Sid V and I will be bringing you all the action along with Shashank and Srivathsa. Stay tuned for the toss and the team updates.

Preview by Vishaal Loganathan

After a cracker of a Test series, India and Australia will be vying for top honours when they meet each other at Kochi in the 1st ODI. Both teams have rested many top players for the series with the important series such as the Ashes and India's matches against New Zealand and South Africa in mind. It is a chance now for the youngsters to stake a claim for a spot in the World Cup squad. Both teams haven't had much time to recover from the strenuous Test series and it will be very interesting to see how the likes of Murali Vijay, Saurabh Tiwary, Clint Mckay and Tim Paine perform without the bigger stars to support them.

India, led by the astute Mahendra Singh Dhoni, have the momentum in their favour and the crowd on their side as they look to start their preparation for the World Cup in winning fashion. Their win in the Test series will have worked wonders in the dressing room and the players will be raring to have another go at the Aussies. However, they will have to quickly put to rest the euphoria surrounding the series triumph and turn their thoughts on winning the ODI series as well.

The Indians have to quickly come to terms with the sudden shift from Test cricket to ODI cricket. The team cannot afford to miss out on any scoring opportunities or have a bastman or bowler take their time to settle. With stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag given a well deserved break, the lack of experience might be the weak link for India against a strong Australian ODI side.

Shikar Dhawan, R Ashwin, Saurabh Tiwary among others have been brought into the side to see if they are worthy of making it to the World Cup squad and a telling performance in the ODIs against the top ranked ODI team in the world will for sure put them in the reckoning for the spot.

Ravindra Jadeja has come under some serious stick for his less than impressive performances in the past and this might well be his final chance of making it to the limited overs squad for some time. Rohit Sharma too has less time on his hands to prove his mettle and he will want to use the opportunity to cement his place in the squad.

Australia's ODI squad wears quite an unfamiliar look as well, with captain Ricky Ponting, fast bowler Mitchell Johnson and all-rounder Shane Watson all rested ahead of the Ashes. Stand in captain Michael Clarke will look to bring back smiles on the faces of the Aussie supporters by notching a win in the first ODI. The team includes a number of limited overs specialists like Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, James Hopes, Shaun Marsh, Clint Mckay and David Warner. With the World Cup being co-hosted by India, the series will be an ideal opportunity for Australia to test their bench strength and find players who are comfortable on the sub continental tracks.

The big hitting David Warner promises fireworks at the start for the Aussies and it will be vital from India's point of view to get him out early. The middle order wears a steady look with the likes of Clarke, White and Ferguson comfortably able to either consolidate or capitalize depending on the start provided.

The Aussies' bowling department might have to work their socks off if they are to succeed on the Indian tracks. In the absence of Johnson and Watson, a lot will rest on the hard working Doug Bollinger to chip in with regular wickets. But with Bollinger recovering from an abdominal strain that kept him out of the second Test, bowlers like Clint Mckay and Nathan Hauritz have to step up and deliver the goods.

Mckay had a memorable debut against India taking 3 wickets in Hyderabad in 2009 and will be looking to repeat that kind of performance. Hauritz, on the other hand, will want to put behind his terrible performance in the Tests and show why he is regarded so highly by his captain.

With heavy rains lashing out at Kochi for the past couple of days, it may well turn out to be a damp squib at J. Nehru Stadium. The D/L method might come into play and the game might be a curtailed affair.

Having just witnessed the thrilling 2 match Test series, one would hope for the ODI sides produce cricket of a similar caliber and also hope that the rain does not play a spoil sport.